Rockford nurses say ‘fear’ the worst part of vaccine time

ROCKFORD — JoAnn Woods uses a distraction technique to covertly administer vaccines to nervous children at the Winnebago County Health Department.

She asks them about school, their favorite subjects, anything so they stop thinking about the needle. Woods tells children that a shot feels like a mosquito bite.

“There are some kids who laugh at it,” Woods said, giving off a high-pitched giggle as an example. “There are some kids who say ‘Oh, man, I can’t believe it felt like that.’ They’re really anxious when they get in here, and once they get it, they realize that wasn’t bad at all.

“We keep it happy. It’s a happy time, a friendly time. Here are your shots. We’re so glad you’re here. Have a bracelet, have some candy, some type of incentive so the kid says ‘Oh, I’m glad I went there.’ And sometimes the incentives remind the parent to come back for that second dose. ... The fear is what hurts the worst.”

Woods, a registered nurse, has worked at the health department for 2½ years. She administers vaccines to children up to age 18, and the appointments fill up fast as kids prepare to return to school each summer.

It helps to remind kids coming in for shots that their fellow students at school — even kids they like and maybe don’t like — are getting them, too.

“Sometimes that’s a little comforting for them to know that they’re not the only ones getting shots,” said Woods, 38.

Vaccines and booster shots are required most for children entering pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, and sixth and ninth grades. The shots help protect against a range of diseases, from measles and mumps to chicken pox.

Babies are also frequent fliers at vaccine appointments, as it’s important to build up their immunity from birth to 15 months of age.

Woods works closely with Sandra Mendoza, a licensed practical nurse who has been at the health department for 18 years. Mendoza, 52, said she likes working with children being immunized in part because she gets to see kids and families during return appointments.

“We get babies at 2 months of age, so we get them again at 4, 6, 12 and 15 months, so you see them grow up,” Mendoza said. “Mothers are often nervous at first, but the next time, they’re more comfortable. You get to see the kids start walking, and you remember them.”

She and Mendoza agreed that the anxiety leading up to the appointment is typically the worst part of the experience.

There are flinches and winces, tears and squeals. Woods and Mendoza stayed mum about some of their worst experiences — to protect the innocent, of course.

“We get a lot of fainters,” Mendoza said.

The fainters are usually the 11-year-olds, she said. Possibly because they’re older, understand what’s happening and become more anxious. Those appointments usually run a little longer because patients have to lie down, have their blood pressures recorded, etc.

Woods said 15-month-olds are often scared because they remember shots from their 1-year visits.

“The trick is, you get them in and out fast so you don’t give them time to think about it,” Mendoza said.

Bringing a child’s shot records to the appointment makes the process go much faster. Woods and Mendoza often spend extra time tracking down records from other states, even other countries.

And patience — lots of it — is key.

“I am extremely calm and patient, so if a child needs a little extra help or a little extra discussion from mom and dad, yes, I will sit and wait until the child is comfortable to receive the vaccine,” Woods said. “I’m not just going to give it to them when they’re not ready. I want to build a mental picture in that child’s mind that says, ‘You know, when I come back, it won’t be as bad.”